PHS headed for some changes

The Paradise Unified School District unanimously approved a number of measures Tuesday night that mostly affected Paradise High School.

Starting next year, PHS will switch to a six-period day. Currently, seniors with 180 credits are allowed to only take five classes a day, while ninth through eleventh graders are required to take a six-course day. The change was approved to keep up with career and technical education standards.

The board approved an integrated math approach that teaches math concepts all together as one rather than separate concepts taught in a particular order.

An athletic conditioning and weight training class was also approved. The class is intended to give specialized training for Bobcat athletes. This is not a general weight class - which is preserved for non-athletes - but focuses on the sport in season. Coach Rick Prinz also requested one health textbook at a cost of $100 as a reference manual for various health tips, which was approved along with the class.

The board also approved a study trip allowing a PHS senior to take about 50 intermediate school students to the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco for her senior project. The students would have to fill out paperwork and write a short essay to qualify for the trip and the students will be chosen at random. The senior is chartering the bus herself and hopes to raise about $2,000 to fund the trip. She has already raised more than half that, she told the board.

The board also heard information on an engineering grant that would not only fully fund a four-year engineering course at the school, but guarantee 30 spots in the Chico State University Engineering Department.

The Teachers Association of Paradise made their case for a pay hike now that Proposition 30 has passed and there seems to be a little more money in the district's coffers. Wearing their TAP t-shirts, the teachers read statements, the core theme of which was "I am not worth less." Numbers were crunched, comparing PUSD pay to other districts in the area including Colusa, Live Oak, Quincy and Corning, as well as Butte County school districts. Others said they had to take on second jobs to make ends meet. The item was informational only and no action was taken.